FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Lacrosse the Nations is a 501c3 tax-exempt non-profit organization that unifies the lacrosse community to sustainably improve education and health while creating hope and opportunity for children in need.

Who runs Lacrosse the Nations?

The co-founders are Brett Hughes and Brad Corrigan.  Brett is a former All-American and Team USA player from UVA.  He played 6 years in the MLL and is now with LXMPRO.  He runs lacrosse clinics around the country and is featured on ESPN and other lacrosse websites.  Brad is a musician formerly with the internationally renowned band, Dispatch, and played lacrosse at Middlebury College.  An Executive Director and Board of Directors, along with a Board of Advisors, provide leadership and executive the mission and vision of LtN.

Why did they start Lacrosse the Nations?

Brad and Brett felt that the lacrosse community would respond positively to the chance to give back to less fortunate at home and abroad that would benefit from the positive values espoused by the sport of lacrosse – teamwork, integrity, commitment, respect and fun.  Brett and Brad both felt that a vehicle to demonstrate lacrosse’s positive attributes would be embraced by the lacrosse community in the US.

What are the programs of Lacrosse the Nations?

Lacrosse the Nations’ pilot program is in Managua, Nicaragua, and we are currently developing domestic programs and partnerships.  The program in Managua is at the School of Hope located in the city trash dump community called La Chureca.  Nearly 1000 people live in and subsist by recycling other people’s garbage. Over half of the people in this community are children and 350 attend the school.  We believe that education is essential to rise out of poverty, so our lacrosse program is set up in the school and is designed to foster school enrollment, attendance and graduation.  This program is scalable and replicable and will be used as we establish new program sites both internationally and domestically.

How do we measure success?

There is an old adage in humanitarian work that goes, “What counts can’t always be counted.”  Nevertheless, we strongly feel measurement tools are essential to understand and report the impact of our programs.  We took baseline enrollment, attendance and graduation rate data from the School of Hope for the past 3 years.  Each month, we review this information for the current school year to see if our program is having an impact.  Our coaches also write weekly and monthly qualitative reports regarding improvements in student-athlete improvement in teamwork, commitment, respect, health and other life skills learned through our Life Skills Curriculum.

How many students participate in the lacrosse program?

The in-school physical education lacrosse program is available for students as part of the educational curriculum during the afternoon classes.  There are five grades and nearly 125 students in these classes.  Students participate in lacrosse as their PE class once a week.

What incentives are designed to increase enrollment, attendance, and graduation rates?

Lacrosse is offered as both an in-school physical education program and an after-school sports activity.  During the after school sessions, we also invite children who do not attend school to play lacrosse, and we then invite them to attend school classes and to become a member of one of the school lacrosse teams.  We also take monthly field trips to a sports complex located outside of La Chureca.  The combination of school, lacrosse and field trips is an incentive to enroll in and attend school consistently.  In addition, LTN funds school nutrition programs to provide breakfast for students who attend morning classes and an afternoon snack for those students attending afternoon classes.

What is the graduation rate?

The current School of Hope graduation rate is 80%, which is in line with the country of Nicaragua as a whole.  While our goal is 99%, we are encouraged that the SOH can maintain the national average while operating in desperate conditions of extreme poverty.

What kind of nutrition program is LtN providing?

Lacrosse the Nations provides a breakfast nutrition program for all of the students who attend the School.  This breakfast program bolsters the students overall nutrient and caloric intake significantly and enhances each student’s cognitive learning ability.  It also acts as an incentive for parents to send their children to school to receive a well-balanced meal.

What school supplies do we provide?

We donate funds and resources to provide school books, note books, pencils, paper, construction paper and other learning supplies that are taken for granted in the US but are scarce in Nicaragua.

How may I Get Involved?

We invite individuals, teams, and communities to get involved by raising both funding and awareness for our programs.  There are several different ways to Get Involved, including Scoop for Loot, Team Merchandise Sales, Re-Lax Equipment Drives, and hosting a clinic or tournament to benefit LtN.  Visit our website and download the handouts to learn more (http://lacrossethenations.org/get-involved/).  Email our Executive Director, at info@lacrossethenations.org.

May I attend a trip to Nicaragua with Lacrosse the Nations?

While we have organized a few special “friends and family” trips to Nicaragua, we are currently not set up to take large groups on trips there on a year around basis.  The best way you can join with us is to participate in one of our Get Involved Opportunities.

Where does the money from donations go?

Donations provide a salary for the three local Nicaraguan coaches and Program Director, equipment and field construction/maintenance, breakfast and sports nutrition program, school supplies and other educational materials.  They also provide funding for our domestic initiatives and partnerships with City Lax in Denver, CO, and the Boys and Girls Club in Charlottesville, VA, as well as cover operating costs for our organization.

How may I learn more about Lacrosse the Nations?

You may read through the information here on our website to learn about all the different aspects of our organization.  You may also contact us at info@lacrossethenations.org.